Baked Tomatoes With Arugula Pesto Food

PASTA WITH ARUGULA AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat and cook garlic until translucent and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes. Increase heat, cook, and stir until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove skillet from heat and mix in arugula. Mix in cooked spaghetti and drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese.

PASTA WITH ARUGULA PESTO

Steps:

• Combine the walnuts, garlic, arugula, and cilantro or basil in a food processor or blender. Whirl them just until they are coarsely chopped. While the machine is running, add the olive oil in a thin stream. Transfer the pesto to a bowl. (At this point the pesto can be frozen. Thaw it before proceeding.)
• Stir the Parmesan cheese, salt, and cayenne into the pesto
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook it, stirring occasionally, until it is just tender. Drain the pasta, return it to the empty pot, and toss it with the pesto, adding a tablespoon or two of water if necessary to distribute the pesto evenly.
• Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl or to individual plates, garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and serve.

TOMATOES ROASTED WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Core the tomatoes and then slice them across (not through the stem) in 1/2 inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle the tomatoes with the olive oil and sprinkle with the oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper.
• Bake the tomatoes for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, spread each slice with Pesto, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Return the tomatoes to the oven and continue baking for 7 to 10 minutes, until the Parmesan is melted and begins to brown. Using a flat metal spatula, put the tomatoes on a serving platter, sprinkle with extra salt, and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
• Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use immediately or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

BAKED TOMATOES WITH ARUGULA PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Oil a baking dish that will snugly accommodate the tomatoes. Core the tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Place a spoonful of pesto into each core.
• Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the surface of the pesto is just beginning to color. Remove from the heat. Serve warm.

ARUGULA PESTO

Steps:

• Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl, and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the arugula in a large sieve and plunge it into the boiling water. Immediately immerse all the arugula and stir so that it blanches evenly. Blanch for about 15 seconds. Remove, shake off the excess water, then plunge the arugula into the ice water bath and stir again so it cools as fast as possible. Drain well.
• Squeeze the water out of the arugula with your hands until very dry. Roughly chop the arugula and put in a blender. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste, olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts, and the vitamin C, if using. Blend for at least 30 seconds. In this way the green of the arugula will thoroughly color the oil. Add the cheese and pulse to combine. The pesto will keep several days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
• Pull out before dinner to get to room temperature. Before serving, add the remaining 1 tablespoon toasted pinenuts.

PASTA WITH ARUGULA, GOAT CHEESE AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO

Steps:

• In food processor, pulse sun-dried tomatoes, oil, walnuts, garlic, Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/8 teaspoons pepper until smooth, about fifteen 2-second pulses, scraping down bowl as needed. Transfer to small bowl.
• Bring 4 quarts water to rolling boil, covered, in stockpot. Stir in pasta and 1 tablespoons salt; cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup cooking water, and return pasta to stockpot; immediately stir in arugula until wilted. Stir pasta cooking water into pesto; stir pesto into salad. Serve immediately. dotting individual bowls with 1/2 inch pieces goat cheese.

CHICKEN WITH ARUGULA PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs; about 3 minutes before the pasta is done, add the green beans. Drain the pasta and beans and rinse under cold water. Toss with half of the cheese, 1 tablespoon olive oil, the lemon zest and salt.
• Preheat the broiler. Puree the arugula, parsley, nuts, lemon juice, 3 tablespoons water, the remaining cheese and 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt to taste in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl.
• Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to about 1/2 inch thick. Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet and season with salt. Rub all over with 1/4 cup of the arugula pesto and broil, turning once, until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
• Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up on another baking sheet and broil 2 minutes. Spread each with some pesto and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Broil until golden, 1 more minute. Serve the chicken, tomatoes and pasta salad with the remaining pesto.

ROASTED TOMATO & FETA PENNE WITH ARUGULA PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 F Place tomatoes on a baking tray and drizzle with 2 teaspoons of oil.
• Season with Salt & Pepper.
• Roast or 10 minutes until tomatoes start to wilt & remove from oven.
• Place basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan and half the arugula into a food processor. Process until finely chopped. With motor running add the olive oil slowly and season with salt & pepper.
• Cook pasta as per pkg. directions and add the broccoli the last 2 minutes of cooking and drain well.
• Return to the pan with the tomatoes, pesto, feta & remaining arugula.
• Gently toss to combine. Divide among serving bowls.
• Top with lemon zest and serve immediately.

FARMSTAND TOMATO SOUP WITH ARUGULA PESTO

Steps:

• To Make the Soup:
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Set the cored tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and roast them until they look wrinkly, about 30 minutes; set aside. While the tomatoes cool, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small sauté pan. Add the shallots and 2 cloves chopped garlic and sauté over medium-low heat until they turn golden brown and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes; set aside.
• When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins, which should slip off easily. Put the peeled tomatoes in the jar of a blender along with the sautéed shallots and garlic, crushed tomatoes (with juice), 1 tablespoon salt, and sugar. Process until the soup is smooth. Stir in the cream and vodka, if desired. Refrigerate in a covered bowl for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.
• To Make the Pesto:
• Toast the pine nuts, stirring occasionally, in a skillet set on medium heat until they turn golden brown, about 4 minutes. Combine the arugula, pine nuts, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and lemon juice in the jar of a blender or the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, then slowly add in the olive oil through the feed tube and process. Transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan.
• To Serve:
• Ladle the chilled soup into individual serving bowls, and swirl 1 tablespoon of pesto into each.
• Do it early
• The soup can be made up to 4 days in advance and refrigerated. Ditto for the pesto. Both should be well covered. Arugula pesto does not brown when exposed to oxygen as does its more common cousin, basil pesto.
• Variation
• The more traditional-minded may prefer a basil pesto. Also, you can eliminate the cream and top the soup with a dollop of crème fraîche or Greek-style yogurt and a drizzle of pesto.